Mildred, Sorry I wasn't clear. I was contrasting the perspective in Richmond's 1877 book to Harmon's 1928 book. When Harmon looked back on the early history of the county, she clearly did so with a desire to record the stories of the pioneers and the details of daily life. Her writing demonstrates the perspective of one who knew that these stories would be lost as the children and grandchildren of these settlers died. As a result, the book has some great stories, particularly from the Churchill and Ackerman families, a hand-drawn map of Five Corners as recalled by William Christian, and many facts that enliven the 19th C for me. It's an enjoyable read! Christine -----Original Message----- From: Mildred Mallek <mallek@pensys.com> To: ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com <ILDUPAGE-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Friday, October 06, 2000 9:24 PM Subject: [ILDUPAGE] Re: Life in the 20s >I have to chuckle when someone has to read a book to >find out what "life was like then", meaning in the 1920s. >All you have to do is ask me! My parents moved to >Wheaton in 1919 and I was born there in 1924 and grew >up there till I married and moved to Elmhurst in 1952. >Ask me anything about Wheaton! My father even >worked for the railroad! > >> On the other hand, Harmon's history of Glen Ellyn was written in >the 1920s when the community was well-established and when the earliest >settlers had died. For this reason, I guess, her book reflects more interest >in what ordinary life was like then < > >Mildred in Lake Geneva, WI > >